BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I need to make a small deck of 3x5 cards, one per statute, one per typical objectionable comment, and then make copies for us all to memorize.

The video is satisfying, but the reason it's viral it's popular is because he was able to give as good as he got and then some. But there's no way, from that interaction, that that officer is going to be less inclined to harass riders in the future. The goal is to change hearts and minds. Knowing the statute is a good start. Looking at it from the officer's perspective is another. Not always, but often enough, they're getting a complaint (specific or generalized) and complaint minimization rather than statute is what motivates their behavior. It's worth leading with, are you responding to a complaint? Whether they are or not, it gives the officer a chance to say yes, in which case you can de-personalize the whole things as follows: I'm sorry you're having to field these complaints, but they're totally off base, and here's the statute. I don't want them to keep wasting your time so here, I keep a few spares and you can have as many as you like to pass out (and then hand them the PA bicycle driver's manual with some common things tagged, or the statute itself). If they say no, and just that you're not allowed to ride here, you have to lead with. "Officer, by PA (XYZ) I AM allowed to ride here. I have the statute printed if you don't believe me which I printed off of (exact official url). You can keep this copy if you'd like, I have a few spares."

@byogman, that's definitely not going to work. What might work: accept the ticket, then contact the officer's commander and discuss the issue, rationally, the way @jim did after he was ticketed on Perrysville.

I don't actually expect it would work either. I think perhaps it has a 5% chance of success as compared to just stating the statute and not trying to step into the officer's shoes first which strikes me as <1%. And it's certainly not in lieu of doing the right thing after the fact as @jim did.

Unrelated to police harassment, but sometimes you can get real results with a non-confrontational approach. Maybe three weeks ago, I was passed on the right going from Pocusset to Forward across the 5-way on the train. Passing on the right is of course illegal and dangerous, but the tack I took was to de-fuse. I caught up to the car at the light at Shady, knocked on the window and said, just so you're aware, to go straight you're supposed to be in the left left lane, I wish they'd mark it because it's so dangerous having two vehicles approaching Forward through this crazy intersection and needing to merge (alluding to the cut-off without assigning blame). The guy apologized and was positively sheepish.

311 that intersection for sure. I loathe that intersection, having lived down on Forward for many years.